Citizens' Climate Lobby

What are the lessons we can learn from the defeat of the Washington state carbon tax referendum, Initiative 732? To find out, our guest on January’s call is Yoram Bauman, founder and co-chair of YesOn732.org, which spearheaded the campaign for I-732. Bauman holds a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Washington and is known as the “Stand-up Economist.” He is co-author of the 1998 book Tax Shift that helped inspire the revenue-neutral carbon tax in British Columbia. In 2012, he co-authored with Shi-Ling Hsu an op-ed in the New York Times, The Most Sensible Tax of All.

Unsure how to find common ground when you meet with a member of Congress or Congressional staff? Most likely, a National Park Service (NPS) unit exists in the district of your member of Congress or inside your state. It is vital to know how climate change negatively impacts these national treasures and how the NPS works to reduce their carbon footprint in each of their units. National parks and monuments may be an economic linchpin for many Congressional districts. Join seasonal park ranger and Citizens' Climate Lobby volunteer Brian Ettling as he discusses how he has witnessed climate change while working in the national parks. He will share how he has used his experience and love of our national parks to achieve common ground in meetings with Congressional staff. Even more, he will share examples of two national parks working to reduce their carbon footprints.

Unsure how to find common ground when you meet with a member of Congress or Congressional staff? Most likely, a National Park Service (NPS) unit exists in the district of your member of Congress or inside your state. It is vital to know how climate change negatively impacts these national treasures and how the NPS works to reduce their carbon footprint in each of their units. National parks and monuments may be an economic linchpin for many Congressional districts. Join seasonal park ranger and Citizens' Climate Lobby volunteer Brian Ettling as he discusses how he has witnessed climate change while working in the national parks. He will share how he has used his experience and love of our national parks to achieve common ground in meetings with Congressional staff. Even more, he will share examples of two national parks working to reduce their carbon footprints.

Legislative and Research Director Danny Richter presents his analysis of the 502 meetings with members of Congress or their staff in June of 2016.

Legislative and Research Director Danny Richter presents his analysis of the 502 meetings with members of Congress or their staff in June of 2016.

When addressing climate change, we need all hands on deck including citizens and lawmakers who are politically conservative. Host, Peterson Toscano interviews Chandler Green, a graduate student at American University researching strategic communications. Chandler shares her insights about climate communication and the need for Republican voices in the USA. She also tells us about the growing #PutAPriceOnIt Campaign on college campuses. Then to model climate communication for conservatives, Elke Arnesen reads the Gibson Resolution, a document created in 2015 by US Republican members of congress. It provides a conservative call to address the causes and affects of climate change   Art House Joining us once again in the Art House is environmentalist and poet, Lilace Mellin Guignard, with a timely and moving poem about winters present and future.   Lilace teaches poetry and creative nonfiction writing and women’s studies at Mansfield University. Her poetry has appeared in the journals Calyx, poemmemoirstory, Louisiana Literature, Paterson Literary Review, Ecotone and Poetry magazine. Her chapbook, “Young at the Time of Letting Go” http://eveningstreetpress.com/8203lilace-guignard-2015.html was published by Evening Street Press in 2016. She is writing a creative nonfiction book about women outdoors for Texas A&M Press. She enjoys climbing and biking with her husband, eavesdropping on her children, and shaking things up in adult Sunday school.    Puzzler Many people responded to the Citzens’ Climate Puzzler about the new Trump Administration. Hear two answers that address both local and national responses.    Here is our new Puzzler:  You are chatting with a neighbor and you mention your commitment to addressing carbon pollution because of dangers it poses. Your neighbor, let’s call her Lucinda, is genuinely confused. She says, “But back in school I learned how important carbon dioxide is for plants and photosynthesis. Our teacher said that without carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, we couldn’t survive.”  What would you say to Lucinda?   Send in your answers by January 15, 2017, along with your name, contact info, and where you are from. You can email your answers to radio @ citizensclimate.org or leave a voice memo of 3 minutes or less at 570-483-8194 (+1 if calling from outside the USA).   Dig Deeper Yale Climate Communications: Is there a Climate spiral of Silence in the US? Put a Price on it Campaign The Gibson Resolution   You can hear Citizens’ Climate Radio on iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Podbean, and now on Northern Spirit Radio. Also, feel free to connect with other listeners, suggest program ideas, and respond to programs in the Citizens’ Climate Radio Facebook group.

When addressing climate change, we need all hands on deck including citizens and lawmakers who are politically conservative. Host, Peterson Toscano interviews Chandler Green, a graduate student at American University researching strategic communications. Chandler shares her insights about climate communication and the need for Republican voices in the USA. She also tells us about the growing #PutAPriceOnIt Campaign on college campuses. Then to model climate communication for conservatives, Elke Arnesen reads the Gibson Resolution, a document created in 2015 by US Republican members of congress. It provides a conservative call to address the causes and affects of climate change   Art House Joining us once again in the Art House is environmentalist and poet, Lilace Mellin Guignard, with a timely and moving poem about winters present and future.   Lilace teaches poetry and creative nonfiction writing and women’s studies at Mansfield University. Her poetry has appeared in the journals Calyx, poemmemoirstory, Louisiana Literature, Paterson Literary Review, Ecotone and Poetry magazine. Her chapbook, “Young at the Time of Letting Go” http://eveningstreetpress.com/8203lilace-guignard-2015.html was published by Evening Street Press in 2016. She is writing a creative nonfiction book about women outdoors for Texas A&M Press. She enjoys climbing and biking with her husband, eavesdropping on her children, and shaking things up in adult Sunday school.    Puzzler Many people responded to the Citzens’ Climate Puzzler about the new Trump Administration. Hear two answers that address both local and national responses.    Here is our new Puzzler:  You are chatting with a neighbor and you mention your commitment to addressing carbon pollution because of dangers it poses. Your neighbor, let’s call her Lucinda, is genuinely confused. She says, “But back in school I learned how important carbon dioxide is for plants and photosynthesis. Our teacher said that without carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, we couldn’t survive.”  What would you say to Lucinda?   Send in your answers by January 15, 2017, along with your name, contact info, and where you are from. You can email your answers to radio @ citizensclimate.org or leave a voice memo of 3 minutes or less at 570-483-8194 (+1 if calling from outside the USA).   Dig Deeper Yale Climate Communications: Is there a Climate spiral of Silence in the US? Put a Price on it Campaign The Gibson Resolution   You can hear Citizens’ Climate Radio on iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Podbean, and now on Northern Spirit Radio. Also, feel free to connect with other listeners, suggest program ideas, and respond to programs in the Citizens’ Climate Radio Facebook group.

Most members of Congress do not go to Washington with the intention of being a champion for climate change solutions. So, how then do we turn them into one? RESULTS founder Sam Daley-Harris and CCL Senior Congressional Liaison Jay Butera join our December call to walk us through the process of moving members of Congress up the ladder of leadership on climate change. Sam is currently the CEO and Founder of the Center for Citizen Empowerment and Transformation and author of “Reclaiming Our Democracy.” Jay was instrumental in the founding of the bipartisan House Climate Solutions Caucus and is featured in Season Two of National Geographic’s documentary series on climate change, “Years of Living Dangerously.”

Most members of Congress do not go to Washington with the intention of being a champion for climate change solutions. So, how then do we turn them into one? RESULTS founder Sam Daley-Harris and CCL Senior Congressional Liaison Jay Butera join our December call to walk us through the process of moving members of Congress up the ladder of leadership on climate change. Sam is currently the CEO and Founder of the Center for Citizen Empowerment and Transformation and author of “Reclaiming Our Democracy.” Jay was instrumental in the founding of the bipartisan House Climate Solutions Caucus and is featured in Season Two of National Geographic’s documentary series on climate change, “Years of Living Dangerously.”

This CCU lesson will offer tips and suggestions, and invite you to share your experience, ask questions and consider new strategies for engaging new people so that they acquire the necessary knowledge, skills, and behaviors to become effective CCL volunteers. NOTE: This CCU lesson is largely in response to the influx of new volunteers CCL experienced in November of 2016. However, the content and strategies are applicable today. 

On a rapidly changing planet we are already seeing risks to public health. Dr. Natasha DeJarnett from the American Public Health Association sits down with Peterson Toscano to outline some of these risks, but also the community building opportunity. We will also hear from Dr. Jalonne White-Newsome, senior program officer from the Kresge Foundation who provides a new framework for looking at resiliency.    As a special feature we will also hear voices from the 2016 Citizens’ Climate Congressional Education Days including Marshal Saunders, Mark Reynolds, and some very hopeful high school and college students.     Art House Joining us in the Art House is Dr. David R. Bowne, Associate Professor in the Department of Biology at Elizabethtown College. Using his scientific expertise and tapping into his creative side, David created a short story, Henry Ford Hated Glaciers, and shares an excerpt with us. You can read the complete story here.   Puzzler Sabrina Fu, the Mid-Atlantic Coordinator for CCL answers last month’s puzzler: What happens when we put a price on carbon, won’t it negatively affect lower income people and the working class?   Here is our new puzzler: You are at an community event and people are talking about the historic upset as they speculate on what a Trump Presidency will look like. You pipe up, ‘Well, as you know I am concerned about climate change, so I am going to work that much harder to raise awareness and get the government to change energy policy.” People laugh. They snort. One says, “Oh, nothing is going to happen for the next four years. We are back to coal and other fossil fuels. Might as well take up new hobby.” So what do you say? How do you respond? How can you share what’s in your heart as well as what’s in your head.    Send Peterson your answers. Leave your name, contact info, and where you are from. Get back to him by December  15th 2016. You can email your answers to radio @ citizensclimate.org that’s radio @ citizensclimate.org You can also text or leave a voicemail of 3 minutes or less at 570.483.8194. (+1 if calling from outside the USA.) That number again is 570.483.8194   Dig Deeper The Zika virus: one more symptom of a sick climate by Flannery Keck  American Public Health Association: Climate Change and Health resources   The principles of environmental justice You can hear Citizens’ Climate Radio on iTunes, Stitcher Radio, and Podbean. Also, feel free to connect with other listeners, suggest program ideas, and respond to programs in the Citizens’ Climate Radio Facebook group.

Citizens' Climate Lobby (CCL) Director of Operations Amy Bennett and Regional Coordinator Brett Cease welcome you to CCL. In this two-part series, you'll learn the basics of becoming an effective climate advocate. In Lesson Two, Amy and Brett discuss finding common ground and shared values, understanding CCL's methodology and how it led to breakthroughs in Congress, preparing for and participating in a lobby meeting and explaining our proposal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions: Carbon Fee and Dividend.

Citizens' Climate Lobby (CCL) Director of Operations Amy Bennett and Regional Coordinator Brett Cease welcome you to CCL. In this two-part series, you'll learn the basics of becoming an effective climate advocate. In lesson one, Amy and Brett will not only review the structure of CCL but also how to build constructive relationships with elected representatives, how to create political will, how to appeal to the best in others and how practice is the key to success.

Following a very stressful election season, we thought it would be good to hear the calm and reassuring voice of our favorite climate change communicator, Dr. Katharine Hayhoe. Dr. Hayhoe recently gave CCL a big shoutout at the South by South Lawn climate change discussion at the White House with President Obama and actor Leonardo DiCaprio. In addition, she just launched a series of short videos on climate change, “Global Weirding.”

It seems to happen all the time. A volunteer advocate from any organization will say, “My member of Congress is so good I don’t need to meet with her,” or “My member of Congress is so bad, meeting with him is a waste of time.” Say what??? In this interactive webinar, Sam Daley-Harris will begin by interviewing CCL Senior Congressional Liaison Jay Butera on how he enrolled a Republican and Democrat to create the House Climate Solutions Caucus. Then Sam will help participants determine where their members of Congress are on the champion scale and on how to move opponents to neutral, those who are neutral to supporter, supporters to advocates, advocates to leaders and spokespersons, and leaders and spokespersons to being champions. Join us to find out where your members of Congress are on the champion scale and how to move them to the next level.